The Role of ‘Thoughtful Intelligence’ in Public Administration

Dr. Musarrat Jabeen

Professor. International Relations/
Thoughtful Intelligence
 Algorithm of Public Administration
Algorithm of this lecture is based on an essay written by Muhammad Iqbal, in 1909 titled ‘ Islam as a Moral and Political Ideal’

1. Ignorance
2. Thoughtful Literacy
3. Immense Existence of God
4. Immense Worth of Human Activity
5. Seven Roles of Human Action
6. Four Dimensions of Human Action
7. Man gets what he acts for

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 The Ignorance
Iqbal says, ‘It is fear to which man is a victim owing to his ignorance of
the nature of his environment and want of absolute faith in God.
The highest stage of man’s ethical progress is reached when he
becomes absolutely free from fear and grief.’
Ignorance can be eliminated by having the knowledge of past present
and future. This means what I learn from my past, and I know how
to act in present and how I can plan the future; that becomes
possible. The theory of ‘Thoughtful Intelligence’ is based on three
assumptions:
1. When I realize about long-term impacts of decisions that are
made in a specific time and space,
2. When I have a great sense of taking action,
3. When I have Intense interconnectivity with people and nature
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 Thoughtful Literacy
Thoughtful Literacy is a deep and complex comprehension, the
detection of relationships between and among ideas, or the
application of ideas to new situations. (Applegate 2011 The
Reading Teacher).

Thoughtful literacy is capacity to counting the impact of one’s

thoughts, words and actions on the survival, dignity and
development of other individuals, groups and nations. The
impact can be realized in ‘Time’ (for how many days, weeks,
months or years the impact will continue) and ‘Space’ (for
how far geographical land with or without human beings will
be effected).
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Man must be regarded as a unit of force
Iqbal says, ‘If fear is the force, which
dominates man and counteracts his ethical
progress, man must be regarded as a unit of force,
an energy, a will, a germ of infinite power, the
gradual unfoldment of which must be the object
of all human activity. The essential nature of man,
then, consists in will, not intellect or
understanding.’
The indicator of human power is the human activity
(….MAN IS KNOWN BY THE ACTIONS HE CARRIES.
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 Sense of Personality
Iqbal says, ‘The ethical ideal of Islam is to liberate man from
fear, and thus to give him a sense of his personality, to make
him conscious of himself as a source of power. This idea of
man as an individuality of infinite power determines,
according to the teachings of Islam, the worth of all human
action. That which intensifies the sense of individuality in man
is good, that which enfeebles it is bad. Virtue is power, force,
strength; evil is weakness. Give man a keen sense of respect
for his own personality, let him move fearless and free in the
immensity of God’s earth, and he will respect the personalities
of others and become perfectly virtuous.’
We are gathered here to establish the sense of personality.
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 Righteousness
Iqbal says, ‘It is possible to show the principal forms of vice
reduced to fear. We can see the reason why certain forms of
human activity, e.g. self-renunciation, poverty, slavish
obedience which sometimes conceals itself under the
striking name of humility and un-worldliness—modes of
activity which tend to weaken the force of human
individuality—are regarded as virtues by Buddhism and
Christianity, and altogether ignored by Islam. While the
early Christians glorified in poverty and unworldliness, Islam
looks upon poverty as a vice and says: “Do not forget thy
share of the world.” The highest virtue from the standpoint
of Islam is righteousness.’
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 Quran defines Righteousness
The highest virtue from the standpoint of Islam is
righteousness, which is defined by the Quran in the following
manner:
• It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces in prayers towards
east and west, but righteousness is of him who believeth in God
and the last day and the angels and the scriptures and the
Prophets, who give the money for God’s sake unto his kindred
and unto orphans and the needy and to strangers and to those
who ask and for the redemption of captives; of those who are
constant at prayer, and of those who perform their covenant
when they have covenanted and behave themselves patiently in
adversity and in times of violence. (2:177).

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 Foundations of Thoughtful Literacy are
Found in the knowledge of truth
Knowledge of truth has two components
Truth ONE
1. Immense Existence of Allah

Truth TWO
2. Immense Worth of Human Activity

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The Immense Truth is the Existence of Allah

Zarb-e-Kaleem: 17 | Tawheed | Oneness of God

| Allama Iqbal | Iqbaliyat | AadhiBaat |
Explanation
Oct 3, 2021
Time 2:11

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 The immense Truth is the Existence of Allah
The best creation of Allah is man and the best ever personality of Prophet
Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him

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The immense truth is the worth of human
activity

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 Why to perform actions?
Purpose of Life

• Purpose of life is composed of the idea to identify one’s

role in the system of humanity and to perform the
ACTIONS accordingly:
1. Who I am?
2. Where I am?
3. From where I have come?
4. To where I would go?
5. SO THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO PERFORM THE ACTIONS
TO JUSTIFY THE ROLE. We emphasize that there are
three FACTORS OF SCIENCE of HUMAN ACTIONS leading
to purpose of life.
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 SCIENCE OF Human Actions
Seven Roles of Human Actions
1.Son/Daughter

2. Brother/Sister
3. Husband/Wife

4. Father/Mother

5. Cousin

6. Peer/Fellow

7. Professional

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 SCIENCE OF Human Actions
Four Dimensions of Human Action

• Sublime Trait of • Dissipation of

Action Actions

Actions for Actions for

Self Society

Actions for Actions for

Nature Creator
• Transcendence of • Radiance of
Action Action

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 SCIENCE OF Human Action
Complex/Integral theorem of Human Action

7 Roles
+4 Dimensions
= 11
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 Art of Human Action
Man gets what he acts for

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 Art of Human Action
Lends Methods of Quality Control of Human Actions

1. Control on Thoughts
2. Control on Words
3. Control on Actions
4. Control on Communication

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 Art of Human Action
Example: Mr. Baqir
1. Mr. Baqir likes Juice.
2. Mr. Baqir likes FRESH Juice.
3. Mr. Baqir likes FRESH Juice PREPARED BY HIS
MOTHER.
4. Mr. Baqir likes FRESH Juice PREPARED BY HIS
MOTHER WITH HIS FRIEND.
5. Mr. Baqir likes FRESH Juice PREPARED BY HIS
MOTHER WITH HIS FRIEND LIVING IN
NEIGHBOURHOOD.
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 Art of Human Action
Get Hold of Yourself……THE SELF

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